Display case for small articles



N. H. FAIRWEATHER.

DISPLAY CASE FOR SMALL ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 12, 1921.

Patented May 30, 1922.

NELSON H. FAIRWEATHER, OF EVERETT, IIASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNOB T0 GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY, OF BOSTON, l' /IASSAGHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION 01? DELAWARE.

DISPLAY CASE FOR SMALL ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed March 12, 1921. Serial No. 51,931.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, NnLsoN H. FAIR- \VEATHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Everett, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display Cases for Small Articles, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and practical case adapted for use as a container for small articles and so constructed that its contents will be automatically raised and lowered in the body of the case when the latter is opened and closed. WVhen such a case is opened its contents are not only presented in the most convenient position for removal but are also effectively exposed to view, so that the case is partic ularly suitable for holding articles of orna mental appearance and displaying them for sale in a show case or window.

The features in which my invention resides are hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a perspective view showing the case as preferably constructed, with its cover raised;

Figure 2 shows the case in transverse sec tion, with the cover wide open;

Figure 3 is a similar section showing the cover closed;

Figure l is a plan view showing the body of the case and a portion of the open cover, a removable tray shown in Figures 2 and 3 being omitted;

Figure 5 shows one end of the closed case in section on the line mm, Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a plan view showing a portion of the body of the case with the tray therein, as indicated by the line y-y in Figure 2. The case illustrated in the drawing is of rectangular contour and comprises a hollow body portion 2 and a cover 3 hinged thereto. Within the body portion is located a support which is movable upward and downward and is composed, in the particular construction illustrated, of two parallel rods l connected near their ends by parallel cross strips 5. Each of the strips 5 is connected to the cover 3 by means of a link 6 pivoted at its ends to the strip and cover respectively, so that when the cover is opened the support is lifted within the body portion 2, and in order to guide the v the end plates 8 support and keep it substantially horizontal during such movements the ends of the rods 4: are located in parallel slots 7 formed in two end plates 8, each of which extends vertically between one of the end walls of the body portion 2 and the corresponding cross strip 5. Each of the links 6 is preferably connected to the cover 3 near the pivotal axis of the latter and shaped to provide a recess 9-.into which the hinged edges of the body portion and cover can enter, so that the cover can be opened beyond avertical position, and the last part of the corresponding movement or" the support is caused to take place in a rearward direction by providing the respective slots '7 with rearwardlyextending portions 10 as shown in Figures 2 and 3. In consequence, when the case is fully opened the ends of the rods 4 lie in the rearwardly-extending portions of the slots 7 and rest on their bottom edges, whereby the support is prevented from being moved downward except by closing the cover 3.

The purpose of the slots 11 provided in between the corresponding slots 7 is to receive the headed ends of the pivots 12 which connect the links 6 to the cross strips 5, and the vertical slots 18 at the upper ends of the slots 7 and'll are for the purpose of enabling the assembled support and links, if tilted endwise, to be intro duced into the body portion 2 after the end plates have been secured therein.

The contents of the case may be placed directly on the movable support, if desired, or on suitable parts secured thereto, but in the particular case illustrated, in which the upward and downward movements of the support are accompanied by movements in a backward and forward direction, I prefer to place the contents of the case on a separate tray or platform which in turn rests on the support and under which the latter can move freely. Such a tray is shown at 14- and preferably fills the top of the body portion between its front and rear walls and between the end plates 8 except for the spaces re quired for the links 6, which lie between the end plates and the ends of the tray.

Since the tray 14 is loose in the case it is desirable to prevent it from falling out accidentally, and for this purpose I provide the body portion 2 with suitable inwardlyprojecting stops adapted to engage the edges of the tray when it reaches the limit of its upward movement. The stops for the rear edge of the tray areshown as consisting of the projecting inner ends of the four rivets 15 by which the cover hinges are secured to the body portion, the upwardly-extending rear wall of the tray being notched as at 16 to receive these stops. The stop for the front edge of the tray is shownas consisting of the thumb-piece 17 of a spring catch 18 which serves to hold the cover closed and extends upward at he front of the case through an indentation 19 in the front edge of the tray. When the cover is open the inner corners of the thumb-piece 17' overhang the front edge of the tray, as shown in Figure 6, but the position of the upwardlyextending spring member of the catch 18 is such that its upper end can be pressed out ward sufficiently to release the tray, the indentation 19 in the tray being shaped to provide for a sufiicient inward movement of the thumb-piece to lock and unlock the cover; V f

The construction above described provides an effective display case which can be inexpensively produced from thin sheet metal by appropriate stamping and drawing opera- 7 tions, but its mechanical features can obviously be employed in cases made ofany other suitable material and can be modified in various ways without departing from my invention as defined in the subjoined claims.

I claimi V 1; A easecomprising a body portion and a hinged cover, a shallow receptacle movable upward and downward within the body'portionand substantially filling the top of the latter when in its uppermost position, a support for the receptacle movable upward and downward within the body port-ion and also backward and forward beneath the receptacle, and connections between the cover and the ends of tlf support for raising and lowering the latter when the cover is opened and closed.

2. A case comprising a body portion having a cover hinged to its rear edge, a support movable upward and downward within the body portion, connections between the cover and the ends of the support for raising and lowering the latter when the cover is opened and closed, means for keeping the support parallel with the bottom of the bodyportion during its movements therein, and a shallow receptacle resting on the support and substantiallyfilling the top of the body portion when in'its uppermost position, the support being movable backward and forward beneath the receptacle during their upward and downward movements.

3. A case comprislng a body portion, a

cover hinged to its rear edge, a movable support contained within the body portion, means including slots slanting upward and rearward for guiding the ends of the support, links connecting the cover and the support at their ends for raising and lowering the supportwhen the cover is opened and closed, and a shallow receptacle resting on the support and substantially filling the top of the body portion when in its uppermost position, the support being movable backward and forward beneath the receptacle during their upward and downward movements.

4:. A case comprising a body portion, a support movable upward and downward therein and including parallel rods connected near their ends by cross pieces, a cover hinged to the body portion, links pivoted to the cover and the respective cross pieces, and end pieces extending vertically within the case and provided with guide slots in which the ends of the parallel rods travel during the movements of the support.

5. A case comprising a body portion, a support movable upward and downward therein and having projections at its ends, a cover hinged to the body portion, links connecting the cover and the ends of the support for raising and lowering the latter when the cover is opened and closed, and end pieces extending verticallywithin the case and provided with slots to receive the projections on the support and guide the latter during its upward and downward movements, said end pieces being also pro vided with supplementary slots extending upward from the upper ends of the guide slots to enable the assembled support to be introduced into the body portion. 7

6. A case comprising a body portion and a hinged cover, a shallow receptacle movable upward and downward within the body portion and substantially filling the top ofv the 105 latter when in its uppermost position, a support for the receptacle movable upward and downward within the body portion and also backward and forward beneath the receptacle, connections between the cover and the 110 ends of the support for raising and lowering the latter when the cover is opened and closed, and means for preventing accidental removal of the'receptacle.

7. A case comprising a body portion, a

support movable upward and downward therein, a cover hinged to the body portion, means operated by the opening and closing of the cover for raising and lowering the said spring catch member being provided 10 support, a removable tray resting on the with a thumb-piece constituting a stop for support and movable upward and downward the front edge of the tray and movable outthcrewith, stops within the body portion for wardly to release the tray when the cover is engaging the rear edge of the tray when in open.

its uppermost position, and a spring catch Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 15 member extending upward within the body eleventh day of March, 1921.

portion adjacent to the front wall of the latter and adapted to hold the cover closed, NELSON H. FAIRWEATHER. 

